Printing press inking mechanism



1961 E. w. WORTHINGTON 35010393 PRINTING PRESS 11mm; MECHANISM Filed June 29, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 32A I lNVENTOR EMORY W. WORTHINGTON I ATTYS.

Nov. 28, 1961 E. w. WORTHINGTON 3,010,393

PRINTING PRESS INKING MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Julie 29. 1959 ATTYS.

lwvau-row. EMqRY W. Won-mum I W dmw E. W. WORTHINGTON PRINTING PRESS INKING MECHANISM Nov. 28, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 29. 1959 m mwm INVENTOR EMORY W. woa-rnm'mn United States Patent 3,010,393 PRINTING PRESS INKING MECHANISM Emory W. Worthington, Ridgewood, N.J., assignor to Miehle-Goss-Dexter, Incorporated, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 29, 1959, Ser. No. 823,493 9 Claims. (Cl. 101363) The present invention relates generally to printing press inking mechanisms and more particularly to such mechanisms of the type having an adjustable fountain blade for regulating the thickness of the film of ink supplied by a fountain roll.

Printing press inking mechanisms of this type are conventionally employed in high speed rotary letterpress printing presses. In such mechanisms, the fountain blade is usually adjustable toward or away from the fountain roll surface to permit careful regulation of the thickness of the ink film carried by localized areas of the roll. It is extremely important that the ink film supplied by the fountain roll be both thin and uniform in thickness. Conventionally, the fountain blade is disposed tangentially of the fountain roll with its forward edge positioned closely adjacent the roll surface. Adjustment of the fountain blade toward or away from the roll surface varies the spaced relation therebetween and thereby regulates the film of ink remaining on the roll.

In practice, in operating a printing press, foreign mat ter, especially small pieces of paper and lint, tend to settle in the ink reservoir. A problem invariably encountered is that the foreign matter is picked up on the fountain roll surface where it wedges between the regulating edge of the fountain blade and the roll to'cause a clog or obstruction. When such clogging occurs, the accumulations of lint, paper, dirt and the like act to force the fountain blade edge away from the roll. As a result, the fountain roll becomes starved of at the points of accumulation and the roll surface on both sides of the wedge of foreign material becomes flooded with ink. It is impossible to carry out uniform inking of the fountain roll under these conditions, and the non-uniformity of ink distribution on the roll is reflected in low quality printing results.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to overcome the above mentioned difficulties in maintaining precise control of the ink film supplied by the fountain roll by providing a mechanism which prevents accumulation of dirt and other foreign matter between the fountain blade and the roll.

It is also an object of the invention to provide an inking mechanism for a printing press which supplies clean ink to the fountain roll at the point of regulation of the ink film thickness by the fountain blade so that accurate regulation of the ink film may be achieved.

A further and important object is to provide compo nents of a clean ink mechanism in the form of an attachment capable of being installed inconventional existing printing presses without requiring any substantial changes or modifications in the basic press structure.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism for providing clean ink which is simple, inexpensive to construct and install, and the main components of which may readily be removedfrom the press as a unit when cleaning becomes necessary.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent upon reading the attached detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view of the ink fountain of a printing press equipped with an inking mechanism embodying the features of the present invention. and as used with ink of low viscosity.

The fountain shown is of the overshot type p the entire press.

3,010,393 Patented Nov. 28, 1961 FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view similar to FIG. 1 but in which the fountain is slightly modified for use with colored ink and in which an alternative form of the mechanism is employed. a

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view of an undershot type ink fountain equipped with still another form of the clean ink mechanism comprising the invention.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view similar to a portion of FIG. 3 but illustrating a variation of the structure shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged transverse sectional view taken along the line 5-5 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a transverse sectional view of the same undershot type ink fountain as that shown in FIG. 3 but showing another illustrative form of the mechanism comprising the invention.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along" the line 7-7 in FIG. 6 adjacent one of the transverse end walls of the fountain.

While the invention has been described in connection with certain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention thereto but rather it is intended to cover all alternative constructions and modifications falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Turning now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the invention is'there shown as incorporated in an ink fountain 20, 20A of the overshot type having an ink trough 22, 22A which holds an ink supply 24, 24A therein. For purposes of this description, the various component parts of the structure shown in FIG. 1 are designated by number and the corresponding component parts of the structure shown in FIG. 2 by the same number followed by the letter A.

Positioned within the ink trough 22, 22A and partly submerged in the ink therein is a fountain roll 26, 26A which is rotatively mounted at each end in suitable bearings (not shown) and driven at a small fraction of the press speed by suitable driving means (also not shown). As shown, the direction of rotation of the roll 26, 26A is counterclockwise.

Ink which adheres to the fountain roll 26, 26A as it rotates in the ink supply is smoothed into a film of suit: able thickness by means of a relatively thin resilient fountain blade or knife 28, 28A which extends substantially the entire length of the roll and is supported generally tangentially thereof with one longitudinally-extending edge 29, 29A disposed in adjustable spaced relation to the peripheral surfaceof the roll. Suitable adjusting means (not shown) is conventionally provided for variably positioning the longitudinally-extending edge 29, 29A of the fountain blade toward or away from the roll 26, 26A as described, to control the thickness of the film of ink remaining on the roll surface. The fountain roll 26, 26A shown provides continuous ink feed from the ink supply 24, 24A to a pickup roll 30, 30A (ink feeding means) and thence through a series of rollers (not shown) to a plate cylinder (also not shown).

In this instance, the ink fountain 20, 20A comprises a base or body 32, 32A which extends substantially across Formed integrally with the fountain base 32, 32A, is a rear wall 34, 34A, which merges with an oppositely inclined front wall 36 in FIG. 1 and a lower wall 36A in FIG. 2;

Considerable space is provided between-the fountain Walls 34, 34A and 36, and the fountain roll '26, 26A to facilitate cleaning. The ink trough 22, 22A may be divided into a plurality of page width sections by means of transverse vertical division pieces or end walls 38, 38A. Sealing means is provided between the division pieces 38, 38A, the fountain roll 26, 26A, the rear fountain wall 34, 34A and the front or lower fountain wall 36, 36A 7 to prevent ink leakage from one section to another.

As shown, the fountain illustrated in FIG. 1 is preferably used for printing with black or other low viscosity ink. Where colored ink is used, an arrangement is employed to minimize the ink capacity of the trough 22A, as shown in FIG.'2. Upon reference to that drawing, it will be seen that in each section of the ink trough 22A an individual upwardly inclined panel or plate 40A is removably positioned to provide a front wall therefor. The ink capacity of the fountain is minimized by providing a minimum of clearance between the panel 40A andthe.

the base of the fountain 32A.

In carrying out the present invention, a clean ink mechanism is provided including means for positively preventing clogging of any part of the space between the fountain blade 28, 28A and the surface'of the roll 26, 26A

which is advancing toward the fountain blade, thereby.

lending assurance that an undisrupted ink film of controlled thickness will be supplied, by the fountain roll to the ink feeding or transfer rolls (cf. pick-up roll 30, 30A) at all times. This is accomplished by providing means 50, 50A within'theink fountain 20, 20A and spaced from the fountain blade 28, 28A for scraping the surface of the fountain roll 26, 26A which is revolving in the ink supply, after contacting the pick-up roll 30, 39A, to remove all foreign solid matter clinging thereto, i.e. paper,'lint and the like, and by further providing filtering means 52, 52A for straining the ink in the course of its flow to that portion of the ink supply 24, 24A adjacent the advancing surface of the fountain roll. In this way, the paper pieces andother foreign matter are removed from the returning surface of the roll and'prevented from entering that portion of the ink supply which is adjacent the advancing surface of the roll. a

Only relatively clean ink, i.e. minus suspended foreign matter, is thus permitted to contact the advancing surface of the fountain roll which next passes and is acted upon by the ink thickness regulating fountain'blade. Assurance is thus given that the spaces between the leading longitudi nally-extending edge 29, 29A of the regulating blade and the fountain roll periphery will not become plugged or otherwise obstructed with such paper scraps or other foreign matter as may find their way into the ink supply.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the scraping means 50,

' 50A comprises a flat, thin and preferably flexible, relatively resilient blade which is disposed generally tangentially of the periphery of the fountain roll 26, 26A. The blade 50, SQAmay extend the entire length of the fountain roll or -may be limited to the lengths of certain page widths or like sections of the fountain, all as de-- sired, As will be observed from the drawings (FIGS. 1 and 2), the longitudinally-extending edge 51, 51A of the blade 50, 59A is positioned to resiliently press against the returning surface of the fountain roll 26, 26A after 'ink has been transferred from the fountain roll to the pick-uproll 30, 30A and thence to the printing plate cylinder (not shown) said edge 51, 51A being continuous and uninterrupted. The said edge 51, 51A of the by means of suitable threaded screws 58, 58A and at their other edge to some suitable supporting structure within the ink fountain. In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1, the base piece 54 of the filtering means is secured by means of fasteners 60 to an angle iron 62 which is in turn mounted beneath a mechanism 64 for supporting the fountain blade 28. In the form of the invention shown in FIG. 2, the base piece 54A of the filtering means is secured by suitable fasteners 60A to the inclined panel 40A making up the front wall of the ink trough.

Thus the scraping means 50, 50A and filtering means 52, 52A in each of. FIGS. 1 and'2 are in effect of unitary construction with the central portion of the structure being perforated to function as. a filtering medium and the extreme end of the structure acting as a scraper blade in contact with the roll periphery. The perforated metal piece 54, 54A of the filtering means 52, 52A functions both .as a blocking member for obstructing passage therethrough of relatively large pieces of paper scrap and the like and as a support for the lighter fine mesh wire screen 56, 56A. Suitable means is provided between the ends of the unitary structure 50, 52 and 50A, 52A and either the fountain end walls or division pieces to prevent leakage around the filtering means.v

As discussed below, it is preferred to mount the unitary scraping and filtering means 50,.50A and 52, 52A in such a manner that the filtering means is at least partially submerged within the ink supply. 7 In preparation for a press run, the trough 22, 22A of the ink fountain is filled with ink to a level sufiioient to immerse the lower portion of the fountain roll 26, 26A.

The quantity of ink in the fountain shown in FIG. 2 may be kept low to avoid wastage of ink in the event that a color change is to be made.

1 In the usual manner, the ink in the fountain (FIGS. 1 and 2) adheres to the roll 26, 26A and is smoothed into a film of suitable thickness by the fountain blade 28, 28A as the roll is driven counterclockwise by the press. Ink is wiped off the fountain roll26, 26A by the more rapidly rotating ink feeding pick-up roll 30, 30A and is transferred successively to the series of rollers previously mentioned (not shown) and ultimately to a printing plate. a

, After the fountain roll surface having the controlled ink film thereon has contacted the pick-up roll 30, 30A, that surface then returns to the ink supply 22, 22A. In passing therethrough, the returning roll surface moves past the longitudinally-extending edge 51, 51A of the scraper blade which presses against the roll, and shears all foreign matter and the like therefrom. At this point in the operation, the ink filtering means 52, 52A functions to strain the ink passing through it so as to block any bits of paper or other foreign matter from passage therethrough. Foreign matter is accordingly separated and trapped from the which flows through the filtering means 52, 52A and into the {region of contact with the advancing surface of the fountain roll from whence a film is again picked up by the roll and passed beneath the thickness regulating fountain blade.

In both of FIGS. 1 and 2, the scraping blade 50, 50A is shown contacting the 'roll surface beneath the level of ink in-the reservoir, and the filtering means 52, 52A is shown partially submerged in the'reservoin The resulting scraping or Wiping action of the'blade 50, 50A against the roll surface while submerged in the ink is found to be particular sizeof the wire mesh employed in the screen 56, 56A may be selected in accordance with the viscosity of the particular type of being used, i.e. newsprint ink is less viscous than certain other inks of the heat-setting variety such that a finer mesh screen could be used for the former without impeding flow of ink through the screen. No force feed or ink pumping system need be employed, which enables the subject invention to be applied to many existing printing press ink fountains without necessitating any change in the ink feeding system eing used.

Turning now to FIGS. 3-7, the invention is there shown as incorporated in an ink fountain of the undershot type. The fountain 66, 66B shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 6, respectively, is of generally elongated construction suitable for holding an ink supply 68, 68A, 68B. To facilitate this description, component parts of the structure shown FIG. 3 are designated by number and some of the corresponding component parts of the structures shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 by the same number followed by the letters A and B, respectively.

The fountain 66, 66A, 66B comprises a front wall 70, 70A, 70B, a bottom wall 72, 72A, 72B projecting forwardly from the front wall, and with the fountain roll 74, 74A, 743 being arranged to form the opposing rear side or Wall thereof. The fountain roll 74, 74A, 74B is thus positioned to contact the ink supply 68, 68A, 68B. The fountain 66, 66A, 6613 may be divided into a plurality of page width sections by means of transverse division pieces or end walls 76, 76A, 7 6B which are secured to the fountain side and bottom walls 70, 70A, 70B and 72, 72A, 72B, respectively.

The bottom wall of the ink fountain also serves as a supporting element for a fountain blade 78, 78A, 7813. The blade 7 8, 78A, 78B, which is usually made of flexible, relatively thin resilient metal such as steel, is disposed tangentially of the roll 74, 74A, 74B with its rear edge portion resting on and secured to the supporting wall 72, 72A, 72B as by means of screws 80, 80A, 80B and clamping members 81, 81A, 8113 so that its forward or free edge is positioned closely adjacent the edge of the roll.

In the exemplary fountain structure of FIGS. 3, 4 and 6, the roll 74, 74A, 74B is journaled in the end members of the fountain for rotation, counterclockwise by suitable driving means (not shown). In such rotation, the surface of the fountain roll 74, 74A, 74B advancing downwardly toward the fountain blade 78, 78A, 78B passes through the ink supply 68, 68A, 68B and in so doing receives a coating of ink which is then reduced to a thin film by the action of the fountain blade. The fountain roll surface carrying the ink film of controlled thickness then is rotatively engaged by a pick-up roll 82, 82B (ink feeding means) which transmits the ink through suitable rollers (not shown) to a plate cylinder (also not shown), after which the fountain roll surface returns to the ink supply and proceeds through a repeat cycle.

Adjustments for precisely determining the ink film thickness on the fountain roll 74, 74A, 74B are made by springing the edge portion of the fountain blade 78, 78A, 78B toward or away from the roll by means of a series of adjustable prmsure applying members 84, 84A, 84B. As herein shown, the members 84, 84A, 84B comprise elongated screws which are threaded through the blade supporting wall 72, 72A, 72B and arranged to bear at their inner ends against the underside of the fountain blade 78, 78A, 78B, and are provided at their outer ends with flattened gripping portions for manual manipulation. As a screw member 84, 84A, 84B is turned in one direction, the adjacent edge portion of the fountain blade 78, 78A, 7 83 moves closer to the roll surface, and when the member is turned in the other direction the resilience of the blade causes the edge portion to move away from the surface of the roll. It will be understood, of course, that the spacing of the fountain blade from the roll 74, 74A, 74B need not be uniform throughout the length of the roll but may be varied as desired to remove more ink from some localized areas than others.

In accordance with the invention, means is provided within the undershot ink fountain 66, 66A, 6613 for positively preventing clogging of the space between the foun tain blade 78, 78A, 78B and the surface of the fountain roll 74, 74A, 7413 thus assuring transmittal by the fountain roll to the pick-up roll 82, 82B of an undisrupted ink film. This is done by providing scraping means 86, 86A, 86B within the ink fountain and spaced from the fountain blade 78, 78A, 78B for wiping the surface of the fountain roll 74, 74A, 743 to remove all foreign solid matters therefrom, and by further providing filtering means 88, 88A, 88B interposed between the scraping means and the fountain blade for straining the ink to prevent flow of the foreign matter back to that portion of the ink supply 69, 69A, 69B adjacent the advancing surface of the fountain roll.

In each-of the forms of the invention shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 6, the scraping means 86, 86A, 86B comprises a generally flat, thin and preferably flexible, relatively resilient blade, formed of metal, plastic material or the like, which is disposed tangentially of the periphery of the fountain roll 74, 74A, 74B. As in the forms of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the longitudinallyextending edge 90, 90A, 90B of the blade 86, 86A, 86B is positioned to resiliently press against the surface of the fountain roll prior to its advance past the fountain blade to shear from the surface of the roll all dirt, lint, and the like clinging thereto.

In each of FIGS. 3, 4 and 6, the filtering means 88, 88A, 88B is rigidly but detachably secured to the scraping blade 86, 86A, 868. The filtering means 88, 88A, 88B comprises a base piece 92, 92A, 92B of flat perforated metal or the like which is superimposed over a finer mesh wire screen 94, 94A, 94B, and both of which are secured at one edge thereof to the scraping blade 86, 86A, 86B by suitable fasteners and at their other edge to some suitable supporting structure within the ink fountain.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in 'FIG. 3, the base piece 92 of the filtering means 88 is disposed generally horizontally within the fountain 66 having one of I its narrow longitudinal marginal portions 96 inclined upwardly from the horizontal to rest against the inclined front wall 70 of the fountain, and with its other longitudinal marginal portion 98 divergingly inclined upwardly for holding the edge of the scraping blade firmly against the surface of the roll 74. As illustrated, the filter base piece 92, and the entire filtering and scraping assembly, is removably mounted within the fountain by a plurality of thumb screws 100 which pass through the margin 96 of the base piece and into the fountain wall 70. Such an arrangement permits the entire scraping and filtering assembly to be readily removed from the ink fountain by simply removing the thumb screws 100 whenever cleaning is necessary.

Upon reference to FIG. 5 of the drawings, it will be seen that the two superimposed filtering members 92 and 94 may be held in a slightly separated condition by a spacer 102 and may be secured together by means of suitable fasteners 104 passing through the base piece 92, spacer 102, wire screen 94 and a suitable underlying clamping member 106. The filtering assembly so constructed, is easily disassembled for cleaning when necessary by simply removing the fasteners 104 and separating the filtering elements 92 and 94. Of course other configurations and constructions of the filtering components may also be employed in practicing theinvention.

The form of the invention shown in FIG. 4 is generally similar to that in FIG. 3 except that the filtering means 88A in FIG. 4 is swingably mounted in the lower portion of the ink fountain 66A by means of suitable pivots 108. The overall construction of the scraping blade and filtering means is otherwise the same as that shown in FIG. 3. The arrangement shown in FIG. 4 permits the printing press operator to simply swing the filtering and scraping assembly away from the fountain roll and to rest 7 it against the front wall 70A of the fountain when cleaning or removing ink from the bottom of the fountain.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate another modification of the invention as applied to an undershot type ink fountain.

In the form of the invention there shown, the roll scraping means 86B is of thesame construction and is positioned the same with respect to the fountain rol-l surface The scraping as in FIGS. 3 and 4'described above. means 86B is also secured to and supported by the filtering means 888. Here, however, the latter is arranged vertically Within the ink fountain and is mounted in the end or division walls 76B of the fountain. By reference to FIG. 7, it will be seen that the two filtering members 92B and 94B are separated at their ends .by spacer bars 10213 of rectangular cross-section which are rigidly joined to the filtering member 92B and detachably joined to the filtering member 943 as by screws 110. As will be seen, the marginal ends of the spacer bars 102B extend beyond the ends of the filtering members and into suitable vertical slots 1'12 extending from the top-s partially down the endor division walls 763 of the fountain. Once in place in the slots 112, the filtering and scraping assembly is simply held in place from the top of the fountain as by means of suitable screws and clamping elements .114.

The operation of the ink mechanismsshown in FIGS. 3-7 is similarto that described above in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2, except, of course, that FIGS. 3-7 concern an undershot type ink fountain whereas FIGS. 1 and 2 relate to an overshot fountain. .Thus, the advancing surface of the fountain roll 74, 74A, 74B of FIGS. 3, 4 and 6 moves downwardly through the ink supply maintained in the bottom of the fountain 66,- 66A, 66B and a thin regulated film of ink is formed on the roll surface as it passes the adjustable fountain blade 73, 78A, 78B. The fountain roll then moves around into contact with the pick-up roll 82, 82B, which transfers the ink through a series of rollers to the printing plates. 7

As the returning surface of the roll passes under the scraping blade 78, 78A, 7813, any foreign material is sheared from the roll surface and finds its way into a portion of the supply. The filtering means 88, 88A, 8838 then functions to strain the ink, thus preventing the solid material from entering that portion of the ink supply 69, 69A, 69B which is just ahead of the regulating blade 78.

The base piece 92, 92A, 92B of the filtering means 88, 88A, 88B functions not only to obstruct the larger pieces of foreign material but also to provide supporting strength for the fine mesh Wire screen 94, 94A, 9413.

metal base piece 54, 54A is positioned to underlie the fine mesh screen 56, 56A, since there the direction of flow of the ink containing foreign matter isgenerally upwardly from the bottom of the reservoir through the 'filter. r g

It will be observed that in all forms of the invention shown and described herein, the roll scraping means is displaced from the fountain blade in a direction contra that of the direction of rotation of the fountain roll. In other words, the fountain blade is the last to contact the roll surface before the controlled film ofink thereon is transmitted to the pick-up roll, and the scraping means in each case is positioned to contact the fountain roll surface after that surface has contacted the pick-up roll but before it advances again to the area of the fountain a blade.

The net result is that the scraping means and the filtering means of the present invention together with the fountain blade serve to form a type of enclosure or compartment for a portion of the ink supply, the entry of ink to which may be had only upon passage through the filtering means. The ink supply in the fountain is in effect compartmented, the ink which is to be regulated in thickness by the fountain blade making up one compartment which contains a portion of the ink supply which is maintained clean and free of the solid particles that contaminate the ink in the other compartment which contains the remaining portion of the ink. The present invention thus contemplates the positive exclusion of paper bits and other foreign solid particle from the portion of the ink supply adjacent the line of controlled contact between the fountain blade and the roll.

One of the advantageous features of the present invention is that the subject ink mechanism may be added as an attachment to existing printing press fountains at a minimum of expense and'trouble. The invention can be applied to most undershot or overshot type ink fountains without necessitating any change of the existing ink feeding principle.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an inking fountain for printing presses, an inking mechanism comprising in combination an ink supply, a fountain roll rotatably mounted and driven Within the fountain and positioned'to make contact with the ink in said supply, a longitudinally-extending fountain blade spaced closely adjacent the surface ofsaid fountain roll for 'adjustably regulating the film of ink carried from said supply by the surface of saidroll, filtering means detachably mounted at one longitudinally eXtending side edge thereof on a supportingsurfacc adjacent saidfountain roll, said filtering means having at least asubstantial portion thereof extending below the level'of' ink in said supply, and a relatively resilient scraping means mounted on the opposite longitudinally-extending side edge of said filtering means and disposed on the same side of the fountain rollas said fountain blade and having its free side edge portion disposed in spaced vrelation'te said fountain blade to resiliently press against the. surface of said fountain roll which is advancing towardtle fountain blade to remove foreign material from the surface of said fountain roll in advance of said fountain blade, said scraping means being positioned to press against said fountain roll surface along a continuous, uninterrupted line of juncture located below the level of ink in said ink supply, said fountain roll, filtering means and scraping means defining therebetween an ink supply portion located adjacent said advancing fountain-roll surface and between said filtering means, scraping means and fountain blade, the remaining portion of the said ink supply being disposed on that side of the filtering means and scraping means opposite said ink supply portion, said filtering means and scraping means coacting to prevent passage of foreign materialfrom said remaining portion-to said ink supply portion upon'rotation of said fountain roll, whereby said foreign material is positively prevented from obstructing the space between said fountain blade and the adjacent advancing surface of said fountain roll and from entering said'ink supply portion, to. thus retain said ink supply portion free from foreign material to thereby present clean ink to said advancing fountain roll surface between said scrapingmeans, filtering means and fountain blade.

2. The combination as claimed in claim l'in which the scraping means is displaced from the fountain blade in a direction c'ontrathat of the direction of rotation of the fountain roll.

3. The combination. as' claimed in claim 1 in which 7 above the fountain blade to separate out the foreign material and trap it above and remotely from the spacing between the fountain blade and the fountain roll surface.

4. The combination as claimed in claim 1 in which the scraping means comprises a thin flexible blade having one end positioned generally tangentially of the periphery of the fountain roll.

5. The combination as claimed in claim 1 in which the filtering means comprises a perforated sheet having openings therein sulficiently large to pass ink but small enough to block passage therethrough of paper bits and other foreign solid material.

6. The combination as claimed in claim 1 in which the free side edge portion scraping means which resiliently presses against the surface of said fountain roll is positioned generally tangentially of the surface of the fountain roll, and the filtering means comprises a perforated sheet having openings therein sufiiciently large to pass ink but small enough to block passage therethrough of paper bits and other foreign solid material.

7. The combination as claimed in claim 1 in which the filtering means comprises a perforated sheet in which said filtering means and said scraping means are disposed in generally aligned relationship.

8. The combination as claimed in claim 1 in which the fountain blade comprises an overshot blade and in which the scraping means is spaced below the fountain blade.

9. The combination as claimed in claim 1 in which the fountain blade comprises an overshot blade mounted on said supporting surface adjacent said fountain roll, and the scraping means is spaced below the fountain blade.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,262,708 Smith Apr. 16, 1918 1,900,266 Wood Mar. 7, 1933 2,018,193 Smith Oct. 22, 1935 2,338,561 Zuckerman Jan. 4, 1944 2,371,223 Crafts Mar. 13, 1945 2,377,110 Smith May 29, 1945 2,887,048 Schmutz May 19, 1959 

